Written by Matt Snyder at CBS Sports.com
The Padres and Royals announced a six-player trade on Monday, in which Kansas City adds three arms to their big-league pitching staff. The details:
Royals get: RHP Trevor Cahill, RHP Brandon Maurer, LHP Ryan Buchter
Padres get: LHP Travis Wood, LHP Matt Strahm, IF Esteury Ruiz, cash considerations
The Royals are hot right now, having won five straight games, and are looking for one last deep playoff run before much of the nucleus hits free agency after the season. This is a pretty savvy move to bulk up the pitching staff without coughing up a ton of future value.
Cahill, 29, will step in and serve as the Royals’ fifth starter behind Danny Duffy, Jason Vargas, Ian Kennedy and Jason Hammel. Cahill was 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 72 strikeouts in 61 innings this season in 11 starts for the Padres. He’s been particularly effective with his curveball.
Buchter is a 30-year-old left-hander who has a 3.05 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 47 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings this season. He’s not a specialist, as he’s held right-handed hitters to a .214/.302/.417 line this season.
Maurer, 27, is 20 for 23 in save situations this season. His ERA is a robust 5.72, but his peripherals show that he should improve. he has 38 strikeouts against eight walks in 39 1/3 innings and has only allowed four homers. His FIP is just 3.23 while his WHIP is 1.20. So he’s not nearly as bad as his ERA looks. He won’t be closing games for the Royals, either.
So the Royals add a starting pitcher and two likely useful relievers in this deal. What did they send to S.D.?
Wood, a 30-year-old lefty, has a 6.91 ERA, 1.82 WHIP and has struck out 29 against 20 walks in 41 2/3 innings this year. He’s signed for $6.5 million next season and there’s a mutual option ($8M) with a $1.5 million buyout for 2019. We’ve got to figure this is where the “cash considerations” come in, because Wood, as he’s currently performing, is making way too much money next season.
